When the Wind Changes
by Logan.Danger
Summary: A new girl shows up at Degrassi Community School after Spring Break. Adam is intrigued. He can't help but feel that something is THERE for them. ADAM x OC, ELI x CLARE  who should have never broken up . Rated 'M' for much later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Drops of Jupiter

OOOOO

Gianna Petro was a year ten student, and new to Degrassi Community School. She had moved into town the week of Spring Break, with her grandmother and grandfather. She was a shy, nervous type of girl, who was scared of meeting new people and _monumentally _afraid of attending a new school, where she would be surrounded by total strangers.

She walked into DCS the morning of April 3rd (AN: I don't actually know the date; sorry.), wearing the official uniform of a red polo shirt, a black rugby sweater with a yellow "D" on it, a black skirt, and a pair of blue Converse Oxfords. She looked around for a moment, confused.

"Excuse me," a boy said to her. She looked up at him. He was Indian, with big brown eyes and a huge smile on his face. "Are you looking for something?"

"Oh, uhmm, yes," Gianna said softly. "The main office. I'm a new student; this is my first day."

"Well, as your Student Council President, I will be happy to escort you there. My name's Sav Bandhari," he said. "And yours?"

"Gianna Petro," she replied.

"Welcome to Degrassi Community School, Gianna," Sav motioned towards the hallway. "C'mon. Let's go to the office." Gianna happily grabbed her backpack and followed in Sav's lead. "So, Degrassi is a pretty good school, despite all the bad things you may have heard about us. We have sports teams, clubs, and other extracurricular activities you should check out. We also have a school band, choir, and orchestra." He opened the glass door to the office and ushered her inside. "The secretary will help you get your schedule, and give you a map so you can find all your classes."

"Thank you so much, Sav," she replied gratefully. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Sure," Sav shot her another smile before walking out of the office.

Gianna sighed heavily before turning to the Secretary's desk and beginning to talk.

Meanwhile, in the hallway outside of the office, Adam Torres was trying to convince his best friend Eli Goldsworthy that trying to "woo Clare" with his "amazing charm" was a terrible idea.

"You have to become her friend again first, dude," Adam said when they reached his locker. "She doesn't trust you anymore, which kinda sucks, but you _did_ almost die for her."

Eli groaned. "But I thought girls were into that kind of thing! Knowing that a guy would do anything to make them happy."

"Most girls are like that, Eli," Adam shrugged. "Just not Clare."

At that moment, Adam turned to walk with Eli to their first class of the new semester (Algebra II) at the same time that Gianna walked out of the office, looking down at her schedule. To say the least, they bumped into each other, and Adam fell backwards with Gianna on top of him.

Adam sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Ow," he muttered.

Gianna looked up at him, grey eyes widening in perfect terror. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she managed to squeak out. "I really didn't mean to; I swear!"

"It's okay," Adam said. "Don't worry about it."

Gianna carefully stood, and then held down her hand to help Adam to his feet. She blushed profusely as he leaned down to pick up her backpack, and his own books.

"Are you new here?" Adam asked. "You don't look familiar."

"Yes, actually," she took her backpack from him and smiled shyly. "My name's Gianna; Gianna Petro."

"Adam Torres," Adam stuck out his hand, and she reluctantly shook it. "And this is my best friend, Eli Goldsworthy. Don't let him intimidate you; he's really a big teddy bear with a soft spot for a girl named Clare."

"Nice to meet you, Eli," Gianna said politely. "Are you both Year Tens as well?"

"Yup," Adam and Eli replied in unison.

She got a hopeful look in her eye. "Would you mind showing me the way to Algebra II? I don't want to get lost and be late."

"Oh, we were on our way there anyways," Eli said. "You can just walk with us, okay?"

Gianna nodded happily, and followed the two boys down the hallway.

OOOOO

By the time Lunch rolled around, Adam and Eli had actually gotten Gianna to talk about herself a little bit. She was reluctant to share information with people she had just met, but they both seemed very nice, and quite trustworthy. She especially thought so about Adam, who made her feel most welcome in every class, although she noticed that a lot of people seemed to glare at him, and laugh at him.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you," Gianna said as she sat down next to Adam on one side of the table, with Eli on the other side. She had brought her own lunch, while they got hot lunch.

"You're welcome," Adam said with a smile.

Gianna heard a loud commotion behind them, but she didn't pay attention as Eli's eyes widened, Adam stiffened, and a hand came down on her shoulder.

She turned around to see a tall boy with shaggy light brown hair and big blue eyes looking down at her. "Hey, New Girl," he said. "Why are you sitting over here with these queers?"

Her smile immediately dropped and was replaced with a look of both anger and sadness. "Well, first of all, my name's Gianna. And unless you have distinct proof, which I doubt you do, then you have no right to imply that they're gay. And, even if they were, I wouldn't care, because they are some of the nicest people that I have ever met, and they have both been _very _welcoming and helpful. So, what's your name?"

"KC," the boy said grumpily.

"KC, I would very much like you to leave me, and these boys, alone," Gianna said, glaring at him.

KC just scoffed. "I hope you realize that sitting with these two is earning you social suicide."

"As long as I have friends that care about me, my social life will never be dead," Gianna said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get back to my lunch."

KC stomped back to his table, while both Eli and Adam stared at Gianna, gobsmacked.

"Thank you," Adam said to her before looking down at his food. "It was nice of you to stick up for us."

Gianna blushed. "I don't know what got into me. I don't want people to think I'm mean on my first day."

Eli snorted. "I don't think anyone could ever see you as mean, Gianna."

OOOOO

Author's Note: More about them later! If you liked this, please review! I want to know what everyone thinks!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Broken and Waiting

OOOOO

Three weeks passed after Spring Break without anything of major importance happening. Gianna was introduced to a few more people at Degrassi, but she still spent most of her time with Eli and Adam. She walked with them to classes, sat with them at lunch, and got a ride home everyday in the recently re-built and refurbished hearse, Morty.

"Hey Adam," Gianna said happily, flashing him a bright smile. "Hi Eli."

"Hey Gia," Eli said. "We still on to work on the history project at your place?"

Gianna nodded quickly. "My grandparents are so excited to meet you both! I talk about you all the time!"

Adam blushed a deep red. "R-really? You t-talk about us?" he gulped nervously. "So, uhh, what are your grandparents like?"

"Well," she started as they walked out the front doors. "My Grandma loves gardening. Actually, that's what they do; they own a farm. I work there too, picking blueberries and manning the cash register. They're really cool people, and it was really nice of them to take me in after my Mom and Dad were killed last year."

Both Adam and Eli were tongue-tied. They weren't sure whether they should, A) say they were sorry about her parents, or B) drop the subject altogether.

"They sound very snazzy," Eli said, unlocking the hearse so they could all get in. They threw their backpacks in the backseat, and started on their way to the Petro Farm.

OOOOO

About an hour later, the three teenagers were in Gianna's dining room, papers and books spread around them on the cherry oak table.

"I can't believe that you guys don't want to use Hitler!" Eli said, interlacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Elijah Goldsworthy, Hitler was not a good person. He killed millions of innocent people. Why the _hell_ would we do him for our project on people who _advanced the world_?"

"Because Hitler was a beast, man!" Eli replied.

Gianna cleared her throat, and the two boys looked at her. "Why don't we choose someone who promoted peace and unity for all people? Like Martin Luther King Jr., or Gandhi?" she suggested. When the two boys simply stared at her, she smiled shyly. "My Mom alway said to make love, not war. So, maybe choosing a war buff would be a bad choice."

Eli sighed. "I guess I can see your point. We can do that Gandhi guy, I guess."

"Yeah, Gandhi sounds good to me," Adam said, smiling down at the petite girl in the chair beside him.

She smiled up at him before scooting out her chair and standing up. "I'm going to grab us some snacks. You two better have a thesis by the time I come back," she skipped out of the room.

"Somebody likes Gi-a!" Eli said in a sing-song voice.

Adam took the book in his hand and hit the back of Eli's head. "Shut up! She might hear you!"

"So what if she does, Adam?" Eli rubbed the back of his head and winced. "It's pretty obvious that she has a thing for you too! I mean, have you not noticed the way she smiles at you?"

Adam shrugged, and the conversation ended just as Gianna walked back in, carrying three sodas and a bag of potato chips. She threw the chips on the table and handed the boys their sodas.

"Thesis?" she questioned.

Adam smiled sheepishly. "Almost...?"

She laughed her beautfiul laugh, and took her notebook from Eli. "You two are dweebs. Why am I friends with you again?"

"Because we're sexy," Eli said with a seductive grin.

Gianna just rolled her eyes and laughed. "Definitely not you, El-Dweebo. You're more like a brother to me."

"Oh, but you think _Adam _is sexy?" Eli questioned.

"Eli, stop antagonizing her!" Adam hit him with the book again, and they settled down into their work.

Lucky for Gianna, no one noticed the blush that had radiated onto her face, and how she started to tremble slightly.

So what if she did like Adam? What would happen then?

OOOOO

Eli left around 5:30pm, leaving Adam with Gianna. His Mom wasn't picking him up until 10:00pm, so they decided to go up to her room and watch some movies and eat junk food for a few hours.

"How about My Bloody Valentine?" Adam asked as he rummaged through her stack of DVDs.

Gianna paled. "I don't do well with scary movies, Adam," she said.

"Oh, c'mon Gia!" Adam said as he put the movie in the the DVD player and moved up to the bed to sit beside her. "I'll be right here to protect you."

"You're my knight in shining armor now?" Gianna looked up at him as the movie started, and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

The movie started, and it turned out to be even worse than Gianna had imagined. There was a weapon-wielding serial killer, lots of blood, and it all made Gianna rather jumpy. She buried her face into Adam's shoulder several times, and he rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Adam," she whimpered. "Can we please turn it off?"

He smiled sweetly at her. "Okay. I'm sorry I got you so scared."

"It's okay Adam. Don't worry about me," Gianna sat up and watched Adam switch DVDs, and she couldn't help but stare.

She supposed she could understand why he would get made fun of; he was tall, and skinny, and very... Feminine. She knew there was something about him that was different than other guys she knew, but she couldn't deny that she liked him as more than a friend. He was sweet, and smart, and caring. He was humble and modest, and loyal to his friends.

He was also very out of her league.

OOOOO

Adam got into his Mom's car and buckled his seatbelt.

"So, Adam..." Mrs. Torres started. "You and Gianna seem to be pretty close for people who only met a

month ago."

Adam sighed. "We just have a lot in common, Mom."

"Does she know about your little... Problem?"

"No, Mom."

"Are you planning on telling her sometime soon, or will I have to?"

Adam's jaw clenched. "Don't go there, Mom. I'll tell her when I feel comfortable enough to."

Adam leaned his head on the window and looked outside at the whirling world around him.

Would he ever be comfortable enough to tell her, and lose her?

OOOOO

Author's Note: I love this pairing so much already. I hope you all enjoy it as well! Review, please and thank you! Xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A Whole New World

OOOOO

It was the beginning of May, and the annual Degrassi Marigold Sale was going on; yellow for friendship, and red for romance. It was also a week until the last dance of the school year, the May Bash (what an awkward name).

Adam was standing in front of the booth, looking at the flower display. He desperately wanted to buy a red marigold, and send it to Gianna. But, was that being too forward?

"Dude, just send her the flower!" Eli said beside him as he filled out his own flower cards.

Adam glanced over at him. "Who are you sending flowers to?"

"Gia, Clare, and you, shockingly," he finished his cards and handed them to the girl behind the booth. "I'm asking Clare to the dance as friends. It's a stretch, I know, but it doesn't hurt to try."

"That's cool, Eli," Adam said, still distracted.

Eli sighed, wishing he had a book to slap his friend with for once. "Here's what you're going to do, dude," he said, turning Adam so that they were facing each other. "You are going to buy her a red marigold. You are going to write a heartfelt message asking her to the dance, and then she's going to say yes. Got it?"

"But she doesn't know about... You know!" Adam said. "And I'm scared that she won't want to be my friend anymore once she finds out!"

"Gianna's not that shallow, Adam. Heck, she's not shallow at all!" Eli explained. "Now, buy the flower. Write the message. Love shall ensue."

Adam grumbled as he pulled a dollar out of his wallet and grabbed a little red note to write his message to Gianna. Eli watched with a smile on his face as his friend signed with "Love, Adam" and handed the note back to the girl.

"If this backfires, I'm blaming you," Adam grumbled as they grabbed their bags and started towards History.

"It won't backfire," Eli reassured him.

OOOOO

The next day, a member of the student council walked into their Algebra class to hand out the marigolds. Adam sat stiffly in his seat, watching as about fifty marigolds were dumped on Gianna's desk. But, only one red one; his.

Adam received quite a few of his own, much to his surprise. He got yellow ones from Eli, Clare, Sav, Drew, and Alli... and one red one. He flipped over the card.

_You're amazing. Never forget that. Love, Gianna :)_

A smile found its way onto his face, and he leaned over to show Eli, who smiled as well. The he looked up at Gianna, who was still sorting through her flowers and reading the cards with a look of pure happiness on her face. She picked up the red marigold and turned over the card. Adam's heart felt as though it was going to explode, it was beating so fast. Gianna's smile widened, and a blush radiated over her face. She turned around and looked at him.

"Do you really want to go to the dance with me?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," Adam replied.

Gianna laughed. "Then of course I'll go with you, Adam. Thank you so much for asking. Oh, and thanks for the flower, Eli."

"Don't mention it, Gia-Boo," Eli said, using her new nickname.

The rest of the class passed with both Gianna and Adam in extremely good moods. As soon as the bell rang, the three friends were out of their seats and out the door in very few moments.

"Now I'm really excited for the dance!" Gianna chirped as they started down the hallway. "I have nothing to wear! I'm going to have to go shopping! Ooo maybe Clare and Alli will go with me!"

Eli looked over at her, confused. "Since when are you friends with Alli... or Clare?"

"Oh, we started talking a few weeks ago," she replied. "They're both so nice... especially Clare! She's fantastic! We talk about books and boys and it's pretty awesome. Oh, I'm rambling aren't I? Well, I have to stop by my locker, so I'll see you guys later! Bye!" and then she was gone.

Adam smiled. "It's nice that she has some friends who are girls. I was beginning to think that only hanging out with us was making her a hermit."

Eli sighed, hoping that Clare was at least considering going to the dance with him. He just wanted to be her friend again; he missed her with every fiber of his being. Now if only she would give him a chance...

OOOOO

Gianna was walking down the hallway when Clare and Alli walked up to her.

"Oh, hey guys," she said happily.

Clare smiled. "We heard the big news! Congratulations! You and Adam look so cute together."

"Thank you!" Gianna gushed. "But I need a new dress. Would you two like to go shopping with me on Saturday? We can go to the mall!"

"I'm not busy," Alli replied.

"Me neither," Clare added.

"Awesome. I'll pick you two up at noon, and we can spend the day shopping our little hearts out!" Gianna looked down at the flower in Clare's hand, and a thought shot into her head. "Oh, is that the flower from Eli?"

Clare looked down at her hand and nodded. "Yeah. He told you he was going to send me a flower? Did he tell you he was asking me to the dance?"

"He really is just interested in going as friends," Gianna explained. "He says he misses hanging out with you."

Alli believed her. "I think you should say yes, Clare."

"I guess that would be okay," Clare shrugged. "I'll text him later."

_Oh gosh, I should not be this excited about going to the dance with him, _Clare thought. _He doesn't want to be with me anymore; he just wants to be friends... _

Clare was heartbroken.

OOOOO

Author's Note: Next chapter is going to be the dress shopping, and the dance! Ooo, who is looking forward to some Eclare and some Gadam action? I AM! OMG OMG OMG REVIEWWWW!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I Hope You Dance

OOOOO

Gianna, Clare, and Alli were browsing through the racks at Dress Barn, trying to find their perfect fits. The store was brightly lit, and had an air of preppiness and excitement. The three girls were more than excited, and at the same time nervous. They all had dates for the May Bash (Alli was going with Drew), and wanted to look their best.

"What about this one?" Alli said, pulling a sparkly, purple, diva-esque dress off the rack in front of her. "Does it scream 'Alli Bandhari must wear me!'?"

Gianna turned and examined Alli's choice. "Well, it was certainly looks like your type of dress... I think you should try it on."

"Yeah, definitely," Clare agreed.

Alli squealed in delight and ran off to the dressing room. Gianna and Clare turned back to their respective racks, and continued to rummage through the massive amounts of satiny, shimmery cloth.

"You really like Adam, don't you?" Clare questioned.

Gianna sighed happily. "More than I probably should. He just makes me feel so... so happy, and alive. He _gets _me."

"I have a really good feeling about you two," Clare said. "He really likes you too. And I think that it's great that you like him, despite him being transgender."

"So he IS transgender!" Gianna turned around to look at Clare. "I mean, I thought so, but I don't like to base things off of bare assumptions."

Clare got a nervous look on her face. "Is him being transgender a problem?"

"Oh no, definitely not," Gianna smiled. "I like him because of who he is, not how he looks and why he looks that way. He's a wonderful guy, and a great friend. Why would I care about anything else?"

Clare let out a sigh of relief, and the two girls took their chosen dresses, and their thoughts, back to the dressing rooms to regroup with Alli.

OOOOO

Eli was over at the Torres' house, playing video games with Adam and Drew in the Rec. Room. After three consecutive hours of Tekken Four, the boys decided to take a break and get some food.

"So," Drew started. "I heard through the grapevine that my little brother has a date to May Bash. A Miss Gianna Petro, perhaps?"

"You heard correct," Eli grinned.

Adam's cheeks turned bright red. "It isn't a big deal, guys. For all we know, she just likes me as a friend."

"Oh, she DEFINITELY likes you as more than a friend. The other day at lunch, I heard her babbling on and on about you to Clare and Alli," Eli explained. "She thinks you're

cute."

"Does she know about you yet?" Drew asked. Adam shook his head. "You should probably tell her soon, Adam. Otherwise, she's going to find out on her own, and feel betrayed that you didn't tell her yourself."

"I agree with Drew," Eli replied.

"Alright, I'll tell her soon," Adam promised.

OOOOO

DANCE NIGHT

The three glowing Year 10 girls were getting ready at Gianna's house, crowding around her vanity mirror to apply the last of their makeup.

"I'm so nervous," Gianna confided.

"It's going to be just fine," Clare replied as she brushed blush over her cheeks. "You look amazing. Adam won't be able to take his eyes off of you, along with probably fifty other guys once we actually get there. Don't be nervous; you have nothing to worry about."

Meanwhile, Eli, Adam, and Drew were waiting downstairs in the living room, drinking lemonade that Mrs. Petro had brought in for them. They were all dressed alike; black dress pants, and black dress shirts. The only difference was the colour of their ties (Eli's being green, Drew's being purple, and Adam's being blue).

"What is taking them so long?" Eli complained.

"They're girls; what did you expect?" Drew said in response before gulping down the contents of his glass.

Adam sat quietly, staring at the door. He was growing quite impatient, as he usually did when he was anxious to see Gianna.

"I'm bored," Drew stated.

"Good for you," Eli grumbled.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Alli walked in. She had on a short, strapless dress with a purple skirt and a rhinestone-covered bodice. Her heels were high, and a rich purple.

"You look fantastic," Drew smiled, scooting over so she could sit beside him. "What's holding up Clare and Gianna?"

"Last minute lip-gloss," Alli explained.

"Girls," Eli rolled his eyes.

"Yes, El-Dweeb, that is what we are," a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. Eli and Adam looked up, and their jaws dropped.

Clare had on a kneelength shift dress that tightened around her waist, and a pair of silver ballet flats. Her short auburn hair was pulled back into into a small bun, with tendrils falling down to frame her face.

Gianna had on a midthigh sky blue dress, with a poufy skirt and a tight-fitting bodice. She was wearing a pair of black empire sandals, and sporting a huge smile on her face.

"You clean up nice," she said to Adam.

Adam smiled. "You too," he said. "Everybody ready to leave?"

Everyone nodded, and Eli clapped his hands together. "TO THE HEARSE WE GO!"

OOOOO

The gymnasium was decorated with the usual decorations; streamers, flowers, Chinese lanterns, and twinkle lights. There was punch, cookies, and chips. The group of six quickly found a table, and Gianna reached over to interlace her fingers through Adam's.

"Hey," she said. "Why don't we go dance?"

"Yeah," Eli agreed as he shimmied out of his jacket. "Why don't we all head out there?"

The dance floor was already packed by the time they got there. Adam pulled Gianna's back against his chest, and held both her small hands in his.

She looked up at him. "I feel really short when I'm around you," she explained.

"It's only six or seven inches, Gia," Adam responded. "Besides, you're cute, so it makes up for your height."

Gianna blushed heavily, and turned around to face him as "Raise Your Glass" by P!nk came on.

"Ooo, I love this song!" Alli, Clare, and Gianna exclaimed in unison. The boys were not surprised by this.

And so, they danced.

OOOOO

After five fast songs, the DJ proclaimed that it was time to "slow things down," and the song "Secrets" by OneRepublic started to play. Adam didn't even think about it; he simply laid his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. She acted on that by interlacing her fingers behind his neck, and resting her head against his chest.

"I'm having a really good time, Adam," she whispered.

"Me too," he said quietly. "Thank you so much for agreeing to this."

"How could I not?" You're amazing, and one of my best friends. I really like you," Gianna explained, her voice growing softer and softer with each word. Finally, she looked up at him with big grey eyes.

"You like me?" Adam questioned. He gulped nervously. "Like, how exactly? As a... as a friend? Or-"

He was interrupted when Gianna stood on her tippy-toes and firmly pressed her lips against his. It took a few moments for Adam to process the fact that his crush was indeed kissing him, but he then proceeded to kiss her back.

She pulled away and giggled. "Does that explain how I feel about you?"

Adam blushed before nodding. Suddenly, he realized something; Gianna liked him... but he hadn't told her about his secret yet. What if she didn't like him anymore once she found out?

"Gia... how about we go outside and talk," he suggested. She nodded, so he grabbed her hand and proceeded to pull her off the dance floor and out of the school.

Eli and Clare, who had watched as everything went down, had gobsmacked expressions on their faces.

"He's gonna tell her," Eli said softly.

Clare turned to face him, confused. "Tell her what?"

Eli rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Clare? He's gonna tell her that he's transgender!"

"Oh, that? She already knows," she replied.

"How does she know?" Eli questioned, confused. "I know I haven't told her... oh Clare, did _you _tell her?"

Clare shook her head lightly. "I didn't straight out tell her. I thought she would have already known, seeing how close she is to you two, so I brought it up. She told me that she had assumed for awhile that he was, but she didn't want to say anything about it. Eli... she doesn't care."

Eli smiled. "Well, that's good. At least he won't get his heart broken," he looked down at Clare. "Well, Ms. Edwards, would you care to join me for this dance?"

"Oh, certainly, Mr. Goldsworthy," Clare said, and followed him out to where Alli and Drew were standing.

OOOOO

Adam and Gianna were sitting on the front steps of Degrassi. She was waiting for him to say something, but he just continued to stare down at his hands.

"Adam, whatever it is, it can't be that bad," she proclaimed.

"I... I'm not who you think I am," Adam said, turning to look at her. "There are things about me that you don't know. Things that... might... disturb you."

Gianna shrugged. "I really don't think there's anything you could say that would disturb me, Adam."

"That's just it! I'm really _not _Adam.. at least not on the inside! My real name is Gracie," Adam explained angrily, refusing to look up at her. "I'm transgender."

"Oh, I already knew about that, silly," Gianna said sweetly, reaching over to touch his cheek gently. "And I don't care. I like you for you, Adam. I like Adam Torres, a lot. And I hope he can see that."

Adam looked up, surprised. "You're okay with it?"

"Completely," Gianna replied.

Unable to contain his joy, Adam leaned forward and crashed his lips against hers. She giggled before scooting closer and nuzzling against him.

They both knew that something was starting; something that neither of them could control. They were beginning to fall in love.

OOOOO

Author's Note: Did anyone enjoy it? I liked writing it, if that helps! xx Anyways, review! Comment! I wanna know what y'all think! -L.D


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